Air-cooling system



y 1930. A. HOLMSTRM AIR COOLING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 17, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 J safari uiifargj y 1930- A. HoLMsTR6M 1,759,575

AIR COOLING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 17, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 20, 1930- A. HOLMSTRM 1,759,575

AIR COOLING SYSTEM Filed Octv 17, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 PatenteclMay 20, 1930 I l U I ED STATES AXEL HonMs'rnoM, or vmeBYnonr/I, 'swnnniv ores AIR-[COOLING sYsrriivr Application'fl led ctoterf17, 1923, Serial No. 669,134, and in Germany J'u ne-lfi, 1923.

My invention is a cooling devicebased upon evaporation of molsture within porous material' and is applicable to a variety of uses.

' i The purpose of invention is to utilizean impeller having blades of 'porousmaterial for the distribution of themoisture and to feed moisture to the blades through the material itself. r

A furtherpurpose is tolhave the blades part ofa'container wholly made up ofporous 7 material, charging the container with the liquid to be evaporated and utilizing centrlfugal force and the porosity of the material to distribute the liquid'to the fsurfaceof the blades. 1 1' Q.

A further purpose is to provide a cooling boxor refrigerator with circulationby' means of a moisture-distributing impeller giving circulation downwardly along the outer parts of the box and return circulation through the middle portion ofthe box.

A further purpose is to provide forthe direct distribution and coincident moisteningflof air by the use of impellers angularly Y placed and of porous material saturated or nearly saturated'with moisture. 7

- Further purposes will appearin the specification" and in the claims. 30 Lprefer to illustrate my invention by a few forms only,'selecting forms which are practical, efficient, economicalland inexpensive and whichat the same timewell illustrate the principles of my invention.

-Figure1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a cooling receptacle of the refrigerator type embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a section of Figure 1 upon line 22 of Figure 1, the. impeller being shown in sideelevation. I I

Figure 3 is a fragmentarysectionvof a structure corresponding to Figure 1, but

showing a deeper impeller reservoir;

-'Figure 4- is a'seotion of Figure 3 taken upon line 4-4.

Figure 5 1s a section of an impeller cor-' responding generally to Figures 1 and 3 but showing a different kind of impeller blade.

' Figure 6 is a section oflFigure' 5 taken upon line 6-6.v

' driven by motor 33and belt 34.

Figure 7 is a longitudinal section corresponding generally to Figure 1 but showing a slightlydifierent form.

In the drawings similar numerals indicate like parts. i {5.

Describing in illustration and not in limitation and referring tothc drawings.

My invention is based upon the principle that moisture will permeate the Walls of an' article oi porous material, with the result' q that porous material may be usedto distributein vapor form liquid received by the material in drops or in bullnThough this capability differs somewhat with the characteristics of the liquid used it is true to a greater or lesser extent of all i 'reely flowing. liquids. i v

Taking up first the'forms of Figures 1 and 2, the casing l, whichmay be a refrigerator'casing, is provided witha door 16, and inner walls 17, 18' of a cooling chamber '(parallel totwo opposite outer'walls of the casing) partitioning off the chamber from side passages 19, 20. Thewalls 17 and 18 'connect with topand bottom upward flanges 1 21 and 22 about openings 23 and The walls 17 and 18 carry brackets 25; 25, by which shelves. 26 are supported,-the shelves being of perforated or screen material. These shelves may support articles .3

to be cooled. 1

The upper part of the casing is open at 27 above the opening 23 and is provided with a flanged bracket 28 supporting 1 bearing 29. The bearing'is capped by thrust bearing30 3 for pulley wheel, 31by whichshaft '32 is.

- The shaft 32 carries an impeller 35 con prising chiefly impeller blades 36 and a body 37 which is hollow to provide a chamber or receptacle 38.

. For convenlence of accessthe top and bottom of the body are formed separately and are shown at 39 and 40, sealed by gaskets 41 to protect against leakage. Any convenient means of fastening may be used. The cover 39 is provided with an inlet filling opening 42 which is closed by plug 13.

The means shown forholdin'g the parts together comprise a head 44 upon the lower end I the chamber 38 and distribute it to the im oftheshaft, a'nut45 threaded upon the upper I part of the shaft above the cover and any desired washers 46 between.

V A drip pan 47 is shown at the bottom. 1 he container and integral impeller blades are ,made'of porous earthenware or similar material which will soak up the liquid-from peller blades. From these, as the impeller is rotated, the moisturewillevaporate until the surrounding air has become saturated.

The impeller draws the air into thespace close to the chamber from above and also vfrom below. .Thatdrawn upwardlycomes mg 23 and produces a correspondmgfloW from the cooling chamber through the opendown the passages 19 and 20.

By this means ,the air. within the whole easing becomes saturated Iwith water vapor and correspondingly cooler. V V j 'Inthis form'the casing is substantially closed below the opening 271 Air saturated 'with vapor escapes at the 'outenpart of the impeller.

top opening and an equal quantity of fresh (dry) air enters at the inner portion'of the top, largely drawn in by the action of the near the dew-point temperature. v

The natural liquid for use is of course I pure water, and that is'suflicient and satisfactory for the purpose intended in this form.

However obviously in other forms where house d stribut on of the cool air is'contemplated, any designed proportion or quantity of perfume, however small, or of disinfectant howeverlarge, may be distributed along wlth the moistened and cooled air.

The impeller is charged with water-at the plug 43.

' In the form'shown in Figure 3, thehollow body 37is givenadditionalheight so as to give room for a deeper chamber 38 to gain the dualbenefits of an additionalquantity.

of liquid. forvaporization and a slight addi- 1 tional height of pressure to assist the capil- V v la-ry permeation of the liquid through the body material and-into the vanes-orblades 36 so asto increase thespeed of distribution. 7 Thestructure' is'iotherwise'the same. is

1 jI'n the'form shown in Figure 5 the samesize bodyandchamber are shown but the shaft '32 is made hollowin'order'that itmay be usedv as a, conduit ior the flow of Water into this chamber 38 from' any desired height (of "liquid. Openings 48 permit flow from upon the head 44:. V I he tube is sealedon the outside against the head.

the hollow shaft into theehamber and the bottom of the tube is closed by a plug 49 Oif course the type of fan and the number of. vanes used-can" be varied greatly. In Figure l'stifilght vanes are shown such as The Vigorous action of theim- 'peller greatly increases the rapidity'of this difi'usion which should be merely great enough to maintain .thetemperature within 7 are seen in Figures 1, 2 and 3. In Figure '6 the vanes 36 are curved. They maybe angular as in Figure 9 and may then be plane orhelical. p i In Figure 7 the entire inner (storage) com- 5 3 partment is of tubular section, formed between thewal'ls 17 18; and central: tubular walls 50 land the top and bottom are closed, .so that. the upward flow of the airgisc'onfined tojthe tubular. space 51. A diflerent formofbracketis shown at28.

@In the forms in Figuresj1-7 the impeller" I is rotated giving out-vapor to the airand -causing ioutward anddownward. movement of air which comes up throughthe comp-art so inent tobe cooled.' Part ofthe air as it comes up is dispersed intothe outer atmosphere and its placeis taken: by dryfaircomingin: the top and moistened by the impeller. j

Obviously in view'of; my invention. other forms and variations of my invention. will occur to those; skilled, in the art which- 1 obtain all or'a part ofthe benefit' ofimy in vention without copying theforms'shown;

and it is my intention therefore"tocover 50 V 1. A cylindrical body of permeable towat'er having a water inletean enlarged interior reservoir and having its upper end initially open, means for; closing 1.

the bottomjof the impeller and a. mount for V the impeller adapted to rotate it aboutthe'i :axis'thereof and having blades of the" same permeable material as; the imp'ellerandsin tegral therewith.- i V V i g V y 2. A shaft, a sealed, vertically disposed I hollow impeller thereon having; blades disposed substantially. parallel with thesha-ft; thereof and made-of material permeableto moisture in combination-with means for supplying liquid to' the hollow of the impeller, i v

a casing about and below the impeller, areceptaclefwithin the casing spaced from the sidesof the casing andopen'at the top and 11,5. 'bottom'andshelvesWithin-the receptacle per- V mitting passage o fair upwardly through the 1 receptacle.

' 3. A shafh a hollowlinrpell'erthereon of material permeable to moisture disposed sub- 3 stantially parallel with the'shaft thereofin combination with a casingabout the impeller and a storage 'compartment within the easing spaced therefrom to allow air tofpass down about the sides ofthecompartmentp having an inlet opening at the bottomand an outlet opening at the'top anol permittingflow of air upwardlythrough the compartment. l. Ashaft, ahollow impeller thereon of material permeable to moistureand disposed 1 substantially parallel with the shaft thereof in combination with a basing about the impeller and a storage compartment within the casing spaced therefrom to allow air to pass about the sides of the compartment between the impeller and the casing.

AXEL HOLMSTRGM. 

